“Bob has made tremendous contributions to Baptist and the health care community,” said Stephen Reynolds, president and CEO of Baptist. “His vast health care knowledge is one of many things that distinguish him as an outstanding health care leader.”
Graduating from the Health Administration Program in the Medical School at Washington University in St. Louis, he joined Baptist Memorial Hospital as an administrative resident in 1977. Gordon earned board certification from the (ACHE) American College of Healthcare Executives in 1989. He went on to achieve several leadership positions, including chief operating officer of Baptist-Medical Center and Baptist-East in 1993. In 1998, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation.
Over his 36 year career at Baptist, Gordon helped create the (BHSG) Baptist Health Services Group and lead the (MSeHA) Mid-South e-Health Alliance, the state’s effort to encourage hospitals and health providers to securely share patient records electronically across their communities for the benefit of patients and providers. The program served as a model for similar initiatives throughout Tennessee as well as other states. Years later, building on the success in Memphis he was again asked to lead at the State level, the formation of the (HIPTN) the Health Information Partnership of Tennessee to electronically share health information throughout the State.
Gordon has served in numerous voluntary roles within the industry, including two consecutive terms as Chairman of the (THA) Tennessee Hospital Association. He has received a number of awards for his health care career contributions, including the THA’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor awarded by the association, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mid-South Health Care Executives chapter of the ACHE.
In addition, he has held leadership positions on many other industry and community boards. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce, and was its vice chairman of economic development. He is an immediate past chairman of the board of Q-Source, Tennessee’s Quality Improvement Organization. He currently serves as chairman and was a founding board member of Hospital Wing, the Memphis Medical Center Air Ambulance Corporation. Gordon also serves as a board member of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South where he had also served as chairman.
During his career, Gordon has also served as Governor Appointee on the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Board and the Board of Licensing of Health Care Facilities where he currently serves as Chairman pro tem.